WA state spring bear petition !!!!!!!!!

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Dec 22, 2021
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The commission refuses to look at the science and data. The decision was made on feelings and opinions alone!
Do you have facts to back up what you are saying? How do you know the decision was made on feelings and opinions. I've beer around bear hunters all my life and never have I seen one that would give up one season for the good of the bear and hunting. I hear hunters complaining about how small the bears they are killing are, give them a break and let them grow.
 
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Spoonman

Spoonman

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Do you have facts to back up what you are saying? How do you know the decision was made on feelings and opinions. I've beer around bear hunters all my life and never have I seen one that would give up one season for the good of the bear and hunting. I hear hunters complaining about how small the bears they are killing are, give them a break and let them grow.
Yea there are facts to back it up! Watch the meeting and you’ll see! A couple people on the commission literally said “in their opinion” they “feel” like!?!?! Don’t come in here questioning unless you yourself have done the homework! They made up numbers that don’t match up with the states numbers in the previous year’s harvest data and they “feel” like bear hunters are targeting “sleepy” bear!?!? There are people on the commission that are essentially anti hunting. What do you think their objective is? Please look into it so you can educate yourself on the situation then do the right thing and write in to one of the above links!
 

Trap

Lil-Rokslider
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Do you have facts to back up what you are saying? How do you know the decision was made on feelings and opinions. I've beer around bear hunters all my life and never have I seen one that would give up one season for the good of the bear and hunting. I hear hunters complaining about how small the bears they are killing are, give them a break and let them grow.
I will answer for him. Tons of facts backing this up coming right from Washington fish and wildlife biologist recommended the hunt and had tons of facts to back the recommendation. I have NEVER hunted black bears in Washington but I signed the form and made comments. I hunt spring bear in my home state every year and realize if we don’t stand up against this it will be in my own backyard soon. Everyone that hunts needs to send in
 
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Spoonman

Spoonman

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I will answer for him. Tons of facts backing this up coming right from Washington fish and wildlife biologist recommended the hunt and had tons of facts to back the recommendation. I have NEVER hunted black bears in Washington but I signed the form and made comments. I hunt spring bear in my home state every year and realize if we don’t stand up against this it will be in my own backyard soon. Everyone that hunts needs to send in
Thanks brother! I live in Washington and bear hunt here every year. I’ve been aware of this and involved in one way or another since the beginning!
 
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Yea there are facts to back it up! Watch the meeting and you’ll see! A couple people on the commission literally said “in their opinion” they “feel” like!?!?! Don’t come in here questioning unless you yourself have done the homework! They made up numbers that don’t match up with the states numbers in the previous year’s harvest data and they “feel” like bear hunters are targeting “sleepy” bear!?!? There are people on the commission that are essentially anti hunting. What do you think their objective is? Please look into it so you can educate yourself on the situation then do the right thing and write in to one of the above links!
Why do you want to hunt bears right out of hibernation? How many sows do you think get killed by accident and never reported because hunters don't want to get into trouble. There are much better times to black bear hunt than spring. I am 100% for smart hunting. After my kids open their gifts I will be off to hunt Mule Deer and fill my white tail tags here in Texas. I kill does and small bucks every year because it's the right thing to do, if the spring hunt isn't helping hunting it shouldn't happen. Look at both sides, why do you want to shot a bear with no weight on it yet?
 

Trap

Lil-Rokslider
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Thanks brother! I live in Washington and bear hunt here every year. I’ve been aware of this and involved in one way or another since the beginning!
Keep up the good fight 👍 love to see you guys win this one a get a season back
Why do you want to hunt bears right out of hibernation? How many sows do you think get killed by accident and never reported because hunters don't want to get into trouble. There are much better times to black bear hunt than spring. I am 100% for smart hunting. After my kids open their gifts I will be off to hunt Mule Deer and fill my white tail tags here in Texas. I kill does and small bucks every year because it's the right thing to do, if the spring hunt isn't helping hunting it shouldn't happen. Look at both sides, why do you want to shot a bear with no weight on it yet?
You have obviously never hunted spring bear. Why wouldn’t you want to hunt them right out of hibernation? The bear behavior is the same in spring as fall I just personally prefer eating spring bear over fall as they are not so greasy with extra fat. You like to shoot deer and elk ? Then you should hunt spring bear as bears kill tons of elk calves every spring.. they also eat fawns. Those two reasons are enough to spring bear hunt. There is ZERO reason that a sow would be shot in the spring versus the fall. ZERO spring season has no bearing on how many sows get killed. I have no dog in this fight I DONT hunt bears at all in Washington. If you shoot does in Texas because it’s the right thing to do you also need to shoot spring bears in Washington because that’s the right thing to do. The deer and elk herds are hurting in that state and bears kill plenty of calves and fawns EVERY SPRING! I will spring bear hunt Idaho like I do every year or should I just shoot a bunch of cow elk, does and small bucks? I would rather save a few deer and elk every spring and shoot a big buck in the fall . Everyone else that hunts please sign this petition. I would love to see Washington hunters win this one it will be a win for all hunters against managing game with emotions over facts
 
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Spoonman

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Why do you want to hunt bears right out of hibernation? How many sows do you think get killed by accident and never reported because hunters don't want to get into trouble. There are much better times to black bear hunt than spring. I am 100% for smart hunting. After my kids open their gifts I will be off to hunt Mule Deer and fill my white tail tags here in Texas. I kill does and small bucks every year because it's the right thing to do, if the spring hunt isn't helping hunting it shouldn't happen. Look at both sides, why do you want to shot a bear with no weight on it yet?
Again please read up on the topic! Who said anything about hunting them right when they come out of hibernation? You are also looking at this all wrong if your single viewpoint is if it only helps hunting! Harvesting bear in the spring helps with new born deer and elk survival rates, bear population control, and many other things! Most harvested spring bear are not taken right out of hibernation, I would say the good majority are taken after they have been out for a month or two and have been feeding that whole time so they have plenty of “weight”! As for sows being harvested it’s completely legal in Washington (know the law before you speak on it) but I’d venture to guess the guys who put in for a spring bear tag that takes 4-8 years to draw depending the unit are after a big bore and not just the first bear they see! Comparing your deer heard in Texas to our bear in Washington is apples and oranges!
 
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Again please read up on the topic! Who said anything about hunting them right when they come out of hibernation? You are also looking at this all wrong if your single viewpoint is if it only helps hunting! Harvesting bear in the spring helps with new born deer and elk survival rates, bear population control, and many other things! Most harvested spring bear are not taken right out of hibernation, I would say the good majority are taken after they have been out for a month or two and have been feeding that whole time so they have plenty of “weight”! As for sows being harvested it’s completely legal in Washington (know the law before you speak on it) but I’d venture to guess the guys who put in for a spring bear tag that takes 4-8 years to draw depending the unit are after a big bore and not just the first bear they see! Comparing your deer heard in Texas to our bear in Washington is apples and oranges!
When do bears come out of hibernation?
 
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I'm not comparing the deer heard in Texas to your bear heard, what I am comparing is that I do what is best for the species. I have heard black bear hunters in NC and FL fuss for years both because of regulations and the size of the bears they are killing, you can't have it both ways.
 
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Spoonman

Spoonman

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Bears in Washington hibernate for 5 months, when does your spring hunt begin?
Clearly you googled it so just add that info to your post! Hibernation isn’t a set day in the month every year. Bear in Washington from my experience are out of the den most of the time by April, I’d say 90% of bear are not harvested until May or June. Please, research the situation so you can educate yourself if you have that much interest and then be on the same side. We as hunters need to band together when it comes to hunting and conservation and this is a prime situation to make that happen. This whole thing started because of anti groups from outside of Washington raising hell, if we don’t fight back for what’s right then more and more opportunities will be taken away.
 

Hoodie

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Why do you want to hunt bears right out of hibernation? How many sows do you think get killed by accident and never reported because hunters don't want to get into trouble. There are much better times to black bear hunt than spring. I am 100% for smart hunting. After my kids open their gifts I will be off to hunt Mule Deer and fill my white tail tags here in Texas. I kill does and small bucks every year because it's the right thing to do, if the spring hunt isn't helping hunting it shouldn't happen. Look at both sides, why do you want to shot a bear with no weight on it yet?

Good questions. Here's my take:

1) There are two things bears do. They hibernate and they put on weight so as to survive the next time they hibernate. I see virtually zero difference ethically in hunting them in May, when they are trying to put weight on, vs in August, when they are doing the exact same thing. They are more visible in spring, and less nocturnal. Which makes success more likely. But still not very high (spring bear success rates in the PNW are often single digits).

You could use the same logic to argue against any hunting of any ungulate species during the rut. It would be best for the species if all deer hunting occurred after bucks shed velvet and before the pre-rut.

2) Sows are legal. Sows with cubs are not legal. Zero reason for there to be a difference in how often sows with cubs are killed in spring vs fall. You either see the cubs or you don't. It's a good idea to watch bears for a long time before making a move for this reason.

3) Helping hunting how? Washington may legitimately have the highest density of black bears in the lower 48. It's certainly in the top 3. Mature boars can be a threat to sows with cubs (they will occasionally commit infanticide). Cubs are most vulnerable to mature boars during spring, when they are the smallest. Spring bear season absolutely helps limit the pressure on elk calves and fawns. I'm not sure how familiar you are with Washington, but black bears are in no way "in trouble" there. There are many units where the same can't be said for the local elk herd (though in no way are black bears solely, or even mainly, responsible for that). But they do take a toll.
 

Felix40

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Why do you want to hunt bears right out of hibernation? How many sows do you think get killed by accident and never reported because hunters don't want to get into trouble. There are much better times to black bear hunt than spring. I am 100% for smart hunting. After my kids open their gifts I will be off to hunt Mule Deer and fill my white tail tags here in Texas. I kill does and small bucks every year because it's the right thing to do, if the spring hunt isn't helping hunting it shouldn't happen. Look at both sides, why do you want to shot a bear with no weight on it yet?
Just imagine this argument:
There are better times to hunt deer than late December. The does are pregnant with unborn babies. Bucks and does are both worn down and food is scarce, which makes them very easy to pattern and kill. Wouldn’t you be better off hunting them in only October when they are fatter and aren’t so dependent on easy food to survive?

That’s what you sound like right now with the bear thing. If we lose seasons we won’t get them back. Eventually they will be saying this same stuff to get rid of your December deer hunting.
 

Bigcat_hunter

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We should all start a non profit because you can basically sue for free, just like the animal rights activists ho always sue whenever grizz and wolves are to be de-listed. Give it right back to em.
 

VinoVino

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I just feel more deference should be given to the game managers and scientists with the WDFW to set seasons as needed to properly manage populations. It shouldn’t come down to feelings.
 
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Just imagine this argument:
There are better times to hunt deer than late December. The does are pregnant with unborn babies. Bucks and does are both worn down and food is scarce, which makes them very easy to pattern and kill. Wouldn’t you be better off hunting them in only October when they are fatter and aren’t so dependent on easy food to survive?

That’s what you sound like right now with the bear thing. If we lose seasons we won’t get them back. Eventually they will be saying this same stuff to get rid of your December deer hunting. The big difference is that the info you are saying about Texas Does is incorrect. The bear population is completely different. We do have Bow season in October here BTW
 
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Do you have facts to back up what you are saying? How do you know the decision was made on feelings and opinions. I've beer around bear hunters all my life and never have I seen one that would give up one season for the good of the bear and hunting. I hear hunters complaining about how small the bears they are killing are, give them a break and let them grow.

You need to look into the history of bear hunting in NJ. We asked for a moratorium on bear hunting until we had enough to sustain a season.

Unfortunately in the liberal state we live in it is now about management by emotion instead of science with the season regularly being fought with the anti’s in court and now shut down by an anti hunter anti 2a Governor. Our DFW actually voted to pass an emergency bear season this fall but unfortunately it has to be signed off by the Governor. We have the state with the largest density of bears per square mile and the largest bears in the country. With NE PA being close. Every year we had a season many bears between 700-750lbs and most years several over 800 pounds were taken. Last year we had the world record shot with a bow.

He put out a statement within 2 hours saying he wouldn’t approve. This puts him as responsible god forbid someone gets hurt but doesn’t do anything based upon science.


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